Labor Day 2023 Trip Report

[tj71903]

By now we've visited enough, and I've written enough of these reviews to where there's not a ton of high level variance in what we've seen or experienced. Still, the one thing we've come to love about the resort as a whole is that there's always little changes aimed at making the guest experience something memorable.

Anyway, here's a recap/review of whatever trip number this is (I think 34th or 35th).

ARRIVAL/TRANSPORT/CHECK-IN

Usual arrival window to CUN around noon time via Delta. This is also when we see other planes coming in from other airlines including American and the Waffle House of the skies a/k/a Spirit. Depending on which gate your plane is assigned, will determine if the walk to customs is short and sweet or if you're going to be traversing the perimeter of the airport. On this day we were somewhere in the middle but made it downstairs to the customs hall before the entirety of the scrum.

The customs process had the electronic booths in full effect as well as the standard rat maze leading to a real customs agent. The lines for both were relatively similar, but one look at the confused faces of many in the electronic booth lanes and we figured it'd be easier and less frustrating to just wait to speak with a human. Less than 15 minutes later and we're back to waiting...this time for the checked luggage. Again, I think it's around four planes coming in within 30 minutes around lunch time so the baggage handlers are stretched thin which will result in a longer than usual wait time. For us I think we waited 35 more minutes which, combined with customs meant it took an hour after coming off the plane before we went outside to meet the car.

Given the delays, you'd think the car would almost certainly be ready, right? Well, not exactly. Once again USA Transfer had the information about the arrival time including flights. Once again, their reps were content to hang out at the very back of the arrival courtyard well away from the doors and other providers. Once again when we found them (like most returners we know where to look for them) and were told "it'll be a few minutes while we locate a car". What's a few minutes? Well in the last few trips it’s been anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes. Neither being something that's acceptable to us. This time, thankfully, the wait was around 20 minutes, and the car was located. As usual, once you get past the poor logistics and execution, the car was clean and the driver was kind, competent, and courteous.

Bridge construction is completed around the airport and so traffic wasn't a big deal heading to Porto Morales. I think we were there in half an hour with only one slow down. Again, kudos to the driver.

Arrival at Pearl and we're happy to see Alexis who smiles and also looks on in horror at the number of bags the wife has brought to a resort where clothes are optional. From there we walk in and she goes about the ritual of saying hello to everyone in the lobby before we head to the mansion for check-in. Once there it's signing the various docs, getting our bands, and then straight to the room (88 this time). All in all, very quick and efficient once you get to the USA Transfer driver portion.

So, on with the visit.

ROOM AND FOOD AND SUCH

We prefer being on the far left side of the resort or as far away from the hot tub as possible. While that may seem counterintuitive to a party environment, it's really just about options. If we want to be around the party (assuming it materializes) then we have that chance by walking over. But if we're craving a more low-key and relaxing setting, that separation is nice to have. Just a preference. The Penthouses remain very good for space, and there are some small improvements including the in-room routers that have been installed in hidden locations. The resort has run a lot of ethernet cable through these older buildings in an effort to make sure that the wireless signal is strong and the bandwidth/speed is much, much improved. We also had the big balcony with a hot tub. I generally spend some time in the mornings out there catching up on work and watching the sun rise, but in late August it's just too hot to stay out during the day and the hot tub is hot enough (thanks to baking in the sun) to boil a lobster.

One area we have noticed some newness is the menu at the various restaurants. Suki has a yakemeshi option with chicken or steak which is very good. Pearl continues to improve the Italian and French menus. We ate breakfast in the mansion most every day and then enjoyed two dinners there as well.

We were thrilled to see that Miguel has returned as the master of wines and spirits after nearly a year and a half. His knowledge and obvious love of the role of a sommelier really makes for an important and fun addition to the Pearl experience.

Lunches were generally in the mansion or Aphrodite to avoid the heat and humidity. Always very good, but something to take it easy on if you're worried about portion sizes, etc. They are very generous in that department. The variety at the lunch buffet when we went there was plentiful and all looked/seemed to be fresh and freshly made. All good.

ENTERTAINMENT

The new entertainment director is really doing a good job. She hosted a themed foam party on Saturday and the attention to detail is a step up. This time they set up the stage, had the video board and that was all really good to pair with the DJ and the usual playmaker/dancers that attend the foam party. The details, however, were noticeable. Instead of just having the video board showing music videos, etc...they had taken the time to construction an animation that mirrored the theme and had that running along with the various graphics, etc. Again, small detail, but noticed.

Away from the foam party the daily activities were all pretty well attended with beach volleyball being a staple each day. There were a handful of guests who had a terrific balance of ability and competitiveness balanced with a sense of fun that made the games a lot of fun each day. In the pool there were the usual workout/Zomba/etc activities but only two days of sports (basketball and polo). Not sure why they've gone away from sports in favor of the other stuff, and don't really love that trend. The afternoon pool volleyball was hit or miss. Some days a ton of fun. Some days we just bailed before it started primarily due to the crowd. Anything over 6-on-6 or maybe 7s is just too many people. Thankfully, there's the afternoon beach session or we would just head back to the room early.

Night time was always fun. The music is getting some more variety to it (less Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez) and they seem to be mixing in newer stuff. I spent one evening learning about the system, the playlists, and how the latter are developed. I found that if we went up and asked for some more variety it was easily inserted to the stock lists. As far as the themes themselves, seemed like most of the guests were having a good time and participating in costuming, etc. My least favorite night - White Night - continues to devolve, however. I'm already not a huge fan of the human dessert community activity they do that night (it's creepy), but now there's the addition of....karaoke. When asked why, we were told that guests asked for it and liked it....ok, cool. People also like heroine, but you shouldn't give it to them, right? Well, in this case the dealer won out and we were treated to an hour of brave guests (likely fueled by alcohol) taking the mic and singing. I envy their bravado but regretted most of the rest of the exhibition, primarily because there was no escape from it. And then it was followed up with the dessert thing...oh well, at least the in-disco shows were strong.

Lots of new performers in the disco and many doing more than just the usual erotic dance routines. There's an African gymnast group that was amazing, a couple of acrobatic acts, and similar. A really good variety that's improved.

As far as the night life goes, we didn't go to the hot tub once this trip. Instead we just hung out at the club and then ended up heading back.

DEPARTURE/ETC

No issues here. Head to the lobby around 11. Say goodbye. Grab the check-out slip and the car's waiting for us. No construction means airport trip was quick and easy. We had plenty of time to celebrate Jimmy Buffett (RIP) with a pre-flight lunch.

All-in-all it was a different trip in that it was lowkey and reserved. And that was perfect for us. We've never had a bad time at Pearl and appreciate that it's a place where you can have fun whether you're partying hard or enjoying a quiet reconnection weekend with your other half. This trip was the latter, but we'll be back in a few weeks for her birthday party (if you're there the first few days of October, you're invited) which will most definitely be a different vibe.

[nokidclub]

Thanks for another informative trip report. We will be at RM when you are at Pearl in early October. Happy birthday to your wife!

[tj71903]

Thanks for another informative trip report. We will be at RM when you are at Pearl in early October. Happy birthday to your wife!

Come over on the 1st for the night if you can/want to. The party/entertainment/shows/DJs etc are going to be pretty cool. Starts around 9 and is scheduled to run until well after Cinderella's coach turns into a pumpkin